The Total Viable Count (TVC) of aerobic bacteria in a sample can be determined by monitoring depletion of oxygen in the sample over time until a threshold value is reached based upon a previously established calibration curve of tthreshold to TVC. See, for example, F. C. O'Mahony and D. B. Papkovsky, Rapid High-Throughput Assessment of Aerobic Bacteria in Complex Samples by Fluorescence-Based Oxygen Respirometry, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 72, No. 2, February 2006, pp. 1279-1287.
The calibration curves of tthreshold to TVC are established by experimentally determining tthreshold for several samples containing known different starting TVCs, plotting the results in semilogarithmic scale and establishing a linear equation for the regression line.
While such systems are relatively quick, easy and accurate, the time and expense involved in establishing a calibration curve of tthreshold to TVC for each type of sample (e.g., each SKU or each type of swab or swab-sampling protocol) renders the system unsuitable for commercial use, particularly for companies with an ever changing product line and/or with dozens or even thousands of different SKUs.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for a system and method of quickly and inexpensively obtaining an accurate calibration curve of tthreshold to TVC for each type of sample.